Vehicle-axle.



l'110. 820,112. PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

lvLW. HEYENGA. VEHICLE AX'LE.

APPLICATION IILED JULY 15, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEEL.

Witnesse y Inventor (15,/ by v l f 4 m Attorneys No. 820,112. I PATENTED MAY 8, 1906. M. W. HEYENGA.

AVEHICLE AXLE.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 15, 1905.

ze 'A ,az'zmgy Witnesses nvenfcr,

by '///A //n Attorneys nnrrnn s'rArns PATENT OFFICE.

VEHICLE-AXLE.

No.82o,112.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

Application led July 15, 1905. Serial No. 269,847.l

To au whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN W. HEYENGA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartsburg, in the county of Logan and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Vehicle-Axle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved axle for carriages, buggies, and other vehicles, and has for its object to provide means whereby the spindle of the axle will yield laterally, so as to prevent the wheels of the buggy from passing beneath the body of the vehicle and upsettlng the latter when making short turns or in traveling around sharp curves.

A further object of the invention is to provide an axle the s indles of which are pivotally mounted for independent lateral movement and normally maintained in alinement with the axle by means of coil-springs, which also serve to receive the jar or impact of the wheels when the vehicle strikes a rock or other obstruction in the road.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for limiting the lateral movement of the spindles and novel means for attaching the thills to the axle.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportions, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the forward portion of a vehicle, showing an axle constructed in accordance with my invention in position applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position 0f one of the spindles when making a short turn. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a to plan view, partly in section, of a modied form of the invention. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the position of the spindle illustrated in Fig. 5 when the vehicle is making a short turn. Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 5, a portion of the thill being shown in position to better illustrate the device. Fig.

8 is a detail perspective view of the thillblock shown in Figs. 1, 4, and 7.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The improved axle 5, which may be used in connection with a buggy or other vehicle, is shown, by way of illustration, attached to a wagon body 6. The axle is preferably formed in three sections, the intermediate portion of which is of the usual construction and the stub-axles 7 provided with terminal spindles 8, upon which are mounted for rotation the wagon-wheels 9. i The opposite ends of the intermediate section of the axle .are seated in squared sleeves or cou ling members 10, said members being pre erably cast or otherwise formed in sections, as shown, and -secured together by bolts or similar fastening devices 11, which also retain the central portion of the axle within said sleeves. The coupling members or sleeves are provided with inwardly-extending lugs or trunnions 12, which engage corresponding sockets or recesses 13, provided in the stub-axles 7, whereby said stub-axles are free to swin laterally for the purpose hereinafter referre to, said sleeves being also provided with longitudinal openings 14 to permit lateral movement of said stub-axles. The upper and lower sections of the coupling members or sleeves are formed with laterally-extending perforated arms 15, preferably arranged at an incline to the longitudinal plane of the sleeves and which form casings or housings for the reception of coil-springs 16, the latter being interposed between the ends vof the casand the inner or free ends of the stuba es 7, thereby yieldably supporting said stub-axles within the coupling members yand maintaining the same normally in alinement with the central section of the axle. The arms 15 are provided with a plurality of alined openings 1,7 for the reception of a stop-pin 18, which by' engagement with the stub-axles serves to limit the lateral movement of the spindles.

As a means for supporting the thills 19 I form the lower section of each coupling member or sleeve with a laterally-extending -plate or bracket 20, having a longitudinal opening 21 formed thereon, the walls of said opening being notched or recessed, as indicated at 22, for the reception of the correspondinglyshaped lu s 23 of a thill-block 24. By having the thi l-blocks formed in this manner the IOO same may be adjusted longitudinally With respect to the plates or brackets 20 to vary the distances between the thills, said blocks being locked in adjusted position by a nut or pin 25. The thill-blocks are provided with spindles 26, adapted to engage the terminal sockets 27 of the thills, While interposed between the nuts 25 and the brackets 2O are spring-clips 28, the ends of which bear against t e terminal sockets of the thills, and thereby prevent rattling of the same.

As ameans for preventing the Wheels 9 from scraping against the sides of the vehicle when making short turns suitable depending guardrails 29 are secured to the bed ofthe vehicle on each side thereof and preferably slightlyin the rear of the Wheels 9, said rails being adapted to receive the impact oi:I the Wheels,

and thereby prevent any injury to the vehicle-body. It will thus be seen that when the vehicle is making a short turn or traveling around a shar curve one of the Wheels of the iront axle Wil travel in the arc of a circle, While the opposite Wheel being forced against the adjacent guard-rail will move the stubaxle laterally against the tension oi the spring as clearly shown in Fi 2 of the drawings, thereby preventing sai Wheel from passing ipgler the wagon-bed and upsetting the ve- In Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, there is illustrated a modified form of lthe, invention, in which a bolt 30 serves as the pivotal point for the `stub-axle 7 instead of the trunnions shown in Fig. 3. In the case a bolt 31 is loosely mounted in the tree end of the stubaxle With its threaded end passing through a slot'32 in the coupling member 10', the coilspring 33 being mounted on the bolt and interposed between the nut 34 and said coupling member and serving the same function as the spring l-namely, to yieldably support the pivoted spindle in alinement with the central portion oi the axle. The thillsupporting bracket or plate 35 is also preferably offset with respect to the coupling member lO to 'accommodate the spring 33 and bolt 31, while the spring-clip or antirattler 36 passes through a slot 37 in the rear of the vbracket 35 for engagement With the socket of the thills instead oi over the front of the bracket, as shown in Figs. l and 4. In this form of the device cotter-pins 3S are inserted in the ends of the several bolts in order to prevent accidental displacement of the nuts.

From the foregoing description it Will be seen that there is provided an inexpensive and efficient axle capable ci bein manufactured at a small cost and admirab y adapted `for the attainments of the ends in view.

Having thus described the invention,what is claimed is- 1. An axle for vehicles having laterallymovable spindles, means for yieldably sup- 6 5 porting 4the spindles in alinement with the axle, and means for adjusting the extent of lateral movement of said spindles.

2. An axle Jfor vehicles rovided with independently-pivoted spind es movable laterally in the direction oi the length of the vehicle, means for yieldably supporting said spindle in alinement with the axle, and means for adjusting the extent of lateral movement ,of the spindles.

3. An axle for vehicles comprising a body portion provided with laterally-movable stubaxles, detachable coupling members connecting the stub-axles to the body portion and means interposed between the walls of the coupling members and the pivoted ends of the stub-axles for yieldably supporting said stub-axles in alinement with the body portion.

4. An axle for vehicles comprising a body portion provided with pivoted stub-axles movable laterally in the direction of the length of the vehicle, detachable coupling members connecting the stub-axles to the body portion and springs interposed between the coupling members and bearing against the stubaxles Jfor maintaining the latter in alinement with the body oi the axle.

5. An axle for vehicles comprising a body portion provided With laterally-movable stub-axles, coupling members for connecting the stub-axles to the body portion, means for yieldably su porting said stub-axles in alinement with t e body portion, and means carried by the couplin members for adjusting the extent of latera movement of the stubaxles.

6. An axle for vehicles comprising a body portion provided with laterally movable stub-axles, cou ling members connecting the stub-axles to t e body portion and provided with perforated housings, springs seated in said housings and bearing against thestubaxles and pins engaging the perforations in the housing for limiting the lateral movement of said stub-axles.

7. An axle for kvehicles comprising a body portion provided with o posite disposed coupling members, stub-axies pivoted to the coupling members and movable laterally in the direction of the length of thevehicle,

- springs carried by the coupling members 'and ada ted to bear a ainst the stub-axles, and thil sup orting rackets extending Jfrom said coup ing members.

8. An axle for vehicles comprising a body portion provided with oppositely-disposed coupling members, stub-axles pivoted to the coupling members and capable of independent lateral movement 'in the direction of the length of the vehicle, springs carried by the coupling members and adapted to bear against the stub-axles, and means for adjusting the extent of lateral movement of said stub-axles.

. 9. An axle for vehicles comprising a body IIO IIS

ISO

portion provided with oplpositely-disposed coupling members, latera ly-movable stubaxles pivoted to said coupling members, springs adapted tobear against the stubaxles Jfor maintaining the same in alinement with the body portion, thill-su porting brackets extending laterally from t e coupling members, and the blocks adjustable longitudinally in said brackets.

10. An axle for vehicles comprising a body portion provided with oppositely-disposed coupling members laterally-movable stubaxles pivoted to said coupling members, springs adapted to bear against the stubaxles for yieldably supporting the latter in alinement with the body portion, thill-supporting brackets secured to the couplin members and provided with longitudina slots having lateral recesses communicating therewith, and thill-blocks adjustable longitudinally in said brackets and provided with laterally-extending lugs adapted to enga e the lateral recesses in the supporting-brac ets.

l 1. An axle for vehicles comprising a body adjustable thill-blocks provided with lateral lugs adapted to engage the recesses in the brackets and having a threaded extension passing through the longitudinal slots in said brackets, nuts engaging the threaded extensions for clamping the blocks in adjusted p0- sition, and lat springs interposed between said nuts and brackets and having their free ends bent downwardly for engagement with the thills.

In tesimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

yMARTIN W. HEYENGA.

Witnesses:

FRED W. LONGAN, JOSEPH A. TABKE. 

